Antiquated Sense of Romance
by DramaQueen95
Summary: To secure her position as curator, Téa has one task: make sure the exhibit she is in charge goes off without a bang. All seems well until she learns that the sponsor is none other than Seto Kaiba, who she has to work closely with over the next couple of months. Throw in a meddling Mokuba, a drunken night in Vegas, a wedding, and it's a recipe for disaster and maybe love? Seto/Téa
1. Chapter 1

A/N:Well, after a long time, I'm back on Fanfiction with a lot of new story ideas for one of our favorite couples. As you guys know, I enjoy getting feedback so feel free to leave a review, as terse or wordy as you want it to be, simply telling me if you like the story so far or, if not, what you don't like about it. I just ask that you don't be rude and nasty in your review because I'm kind of sensitive. Other than that, enjoy the fanfic!

Disclaimer: Well, I clearly don't own YuGiOh because, if I did, Seto and Téa would obviously be together.

* * *

"Why not?" Mai asked, looking over at the brunette beside her.

"Because, Mai," Téa sighed, "I don't want to go on a date with anyone. Especially a blind date!"

"Do you know how long it took me to set this up?!" Mai exclaimed and Téa let out an exasperated groan.

"I didn't ask you to set this up!" she reminded the blonde, who had become her best friend over the years.

"Not in plain words," Mai mumbled and Téa immediately turned to shoot her a nasty look.

"Not my fault you're stuck in the museum all day," Mai pointed out and Téa shook her head, replying, "I happen to love my job. Besides, what's the problem with me working?"

"The problem is you have no life, Téa! You're either at the museum all day or you're at home or at school. Is that how you want to spend the rest of your life? Working all day at a museum and then coming home to cuddle up with a ton of books and a cup of tea?" Mai practically screamed at her.

"Yes," Téa simply replied and saw the blonde's eyes flash dangerously at her response. Quickly, she added, "I mean, for now that's okay. I don't really see the need for anything more. Besides, I'm trying to get my doctorate, Mai. That's all I care to do at the moment."

With a shrug, Téa stood and headed into the kitchen of their apartment.

"Did you make pasta?" she yelled at Mai.

"Yes," Mai replied impatiently as she joined her in the kitchen, causing Téa to hold back a groan. She knew that Mai wouldn't let this date go. "Téa, can you please just give this a shot? What do you have to lose?"

"Well, there's the time that I'll waste on this date. I mean, I could be studying instead," Téa began and saw Mai's eyes instantly narrow. "Maybe money? And, if he's stupid, most likely brain cells."

"You're unbelievable!" Mai hissed and Téa shot her a taunting smile, knowing that it would upset her further. "I mean, I thought that you'd meet someone at your job, but then I realized that you work with a bunch of dull people!"

"They happen to be very nice," Téa remarked as she put on water to boil.

"Who cares? They're boring," Mai said. "And then I thought that you'd meet someone in your program, but that didn't work either because they're all training to become like the boring museum people you already work with!"

"Mai, why do you care if I'm dating someone or not?!" Téa exclaimed as she felt her patience leave her.

"Because you're 24 and single!" Mai yelled back and Téa let out an annoyed groan, yelling, "there's nothing wrong with that!" before she turned and stormed out of the kitchen, Mai following behind.

"Téa, please just consider this date!" Mai pleaded.

"How exactly did you meet this guy?" Téa asked as she turned to face her friend.

Mai gave her a meek look before she quickly looked away and sheepishly replied, "I met _Mr. MoneyBag_ online," turning back to see Téa's eyes grow wide.

"Who's Mr. MoneyBag?" Téa asked, obviously confused.

"That's the guy's name," Mai replied and Téa's eyes immediately grew wide once again.

"You're sending me on a date with a guy named _Mr. MoneyBag_ who you met _online_?" Téa asked, shock evident on her face. When Mai nodded, she yelled, "a random stranger, Mai?! Suppose he's a crazy killer or something? Maybe a rapist?! Mai, what's wrong with you?! Have you lost your goddamn mind?!"

"Calm down, Téa. It's relatively safe. They do a background check and stuff," Mai reassured her but Téa continued to give the girl a skeptical look.

" _Relatively?_ " she repeated and Mai shook her head, quickly saying, "did I say relatively? I meant very. The website has never had any incidents."

"Maybe not any reported incidents," Téa mumbled, earning a scowl from Mai, who continued, "several of my friends have used it and they said that the dates were fun. Just try it? Please?"

"And what about you?" Téa asked and Mai gave her a quick smile. "Why are you smiling?"

"I actually went on one last night," Mai confessed and Téa's eyes grew wide.

"Really? Why didn't I know about that?" she asked and Mai immediately glared at her as she bit out, "because you were at the museum!"

Before Téa could reply, Mai continued, "I had fun, I promise. Just give it a try, Téa. Please?"

"No," she replied, determined not to budge.

Sighing, Mai nodded and said, "I guess I can't change your mind."

"Then, why are you smiling?" Téa asked as a wicked grin seized Mai's face.

"Because," Mai said, "a certain pair of earrings you brought home have gone missing."

Immediately, Téa's eyes grew wide and she breathed, "Mai, where are those earrings?"

"Safe," Mai assured her before adding evilly, "for now."

"Mai, that's not funny. Those earrings are ancient. They're a part of history and culture, not a part of your blackmailing scheme."

"I know and they're safe." She let out a loud groan and said, "you just need to go on one date, Téa! Stop being so difficult and just go on the date before your social life becomes history!"

As she looked at Mai's pleading face, Téa let out a sigh, knowing that she'd lost, before she finally nodded and replied, "fine. But, if it goes horribly wrong, I'm going to kill you. And, if anything happens to those earrings, I'm going to put you on display in the museum."

Smiling, Mai replied, "it's a deal!"

* * *

"You did what?!" Kaiba demanded as he looked over at his younger brother.

"It was a bet, Seto," the 21 year old replied and Kaiba quickly narrowed his eyes.

"A bet? What kind of a bet is that?!" he asked and Mokuba shrugged.

"We wanted to see if you could actually get a date," he replied before he added with a smile, "and you did! So, you should be happy. We both won! You got a date and I won my bet."

"Mokuba," Kaiba said as he struggled to grasp what was going on, "why would you even make an online dating profile for me? Who told you that I want to go on a date?!"

"Seto, you're 26 and I have _never_ seen you go on a date with a woman," Mokuba pointed out before he gasped and asked with a twinkle in his eyes, "Seto, perchance, might you be gay?"

The moment he said the words, he saw his brother's eyes widen in shock before he immediately narrowed them and replied, "no, Mokuba. I assure you, I'm straight."

"Damn it. There goes $50," Mokuba mumbled under his breath.

"What?" Kaiba asked, looking more confused than ever.

Giving his brother a quick smile, Mokuba said, "Seto, just go on this date! You need to date! And, also give me $50."

"I don't need to date, Mokuba," Kaiba snapped. "I have a multi billion dollar corporation to run. I don't have the time to frolic around like an idiot. And why do you need $50?"

"It's for a sudden expense. And really, Seto?" Mokuba asked, raising an eyebrow. "Frolic? Who says frolic? And you can't date the corporation! It won't give you children!"

At the look Kaiba shot him, he quickly chuckled and continued, "come on. It's just one date, Seto. It's not going to kill you," before he added, _sotto voce,_ "then again, who knows?"

"Who is it with?" Kaiba asked as he sat down and opened his laptop. He was typing when Mokuba mumbled, "I don't exactly know who she is," causing his brother to immediately look up.

"What was that?" Kaiba asked and Mokuba quickly replied, "it's just that it's anonymous. It's basically a blind date."

"So, my date is blind?" Kaiba asked, raising a puzzled eyebrow and earning a frustrated groan from his brother, who shook his head.

"No, Seto. It means that you don't know who she is. You've never met before or anything." At the confused and somewhat skeptical look on his brother's face, Mokuba launched into an explanation of what exactly had happened.

"So, my friends and I basically made online dating profiles on this website, where you use a screen name instead of your actual name. They match you with someone who shares your interests and who you might be compatible with. You have the option to put your picture or not. We decided that, as a joke, we'd create one for you and not put your picture. Then, we made a bet to see if you'd be matched up, which you were. I won that bet," he stopped and shot his brother his usual cheeky smile.

"They matched you up with only _one_ person." At that, Mokuba paused and looked at his brother with an incredulous look, asking, "how can you be compatible with only one person, Seto? What's wrong with you?"

"Shut up," Kaiba scowled before he asked, "who was the _one_ person?"

"Her name is _EgyptianDancingQueen_ and she didn't put up her picture either. Anyway, we decided to make another bet on whether or not you'd go on the date," Mokuba explained. "Now, you can't back out of it or I'm stuck dressing as Bigfoot."

"What? Bigfoot?" Kaiba exclaimed as he looked at his brother, confusion clearly written on his face.

Rolling his eyes, Mokuba impatiently replied, "the loser has to wear a Bigfoot costume and wander through the woods surrounding the college until people start to talk about it and try to take pictures. Basically, it's going to be a hoax. You know, documentaries and publicity and all that fun stuff."

"Mokuba," Kaiba rubbed his temple, "what are you doing at that college? I sent you there to get an education and a degree, not to dress up as the Yeti!"

"Bigfoot," Mokuba corrected him and Kaiba narrowed his eyes. "What? Yeti is the Abominable Snowman. He lives in Tibet. Bigfoot lives in North America."

"Shut up," Kaiba hissed and Mokuba stuck his tongue out in response.

"I don't even know how this woman looks and I'm supposed to go on a date with her just so that you don't have to dress up like Bigfoot?!" Kaiba demanded before adding, "and how do we even know she's a _she_?"

"Seto, trust me. You need to get out more and be more social. Even if she is a he, at least you'll make a friend. Besides, what's there to lose?" Mokuba asked and Kaiba immediately replied, "my time, Mokuba. I don't want to waste my time going on a stupid date with a woman whose face I haven't even seen. How do you know that she isn't crazy? Or dangerous?"

"Well, there _is_ a possibility that she's crazy. I mean, she got matched to you," Mokuba mumbled.

"Not helping," Kaiba interrupted but Mokuba continued, "just give it a try, Seto. You might like it. You might even have fun. Remember how that feels?"

"No, Mokuba," Kaiba replied and Mokuba knew that he had made up his mind, which meant that he would basically be stuck masquerading as Bigfoot for lord knew how long.

"I was afraid you'd say that," Mokuba said as Kaiba opened his desk drawer. As Kaiba did, his face changed and confusion crossed it before he looked up at his brother, anger in his eyes.

"Where are my files, Mokuba?" Kaiba demanded, enunciating each word, and Mokuba gave a small smile.

"They're safe, bro, but you need to go on that date," he said.

"Are you _blackmailing_ me, Mokuba?" Kaiba asked and his brother nodded. "How dare you!"

With a smirk, Mokuba said, "don't forget I'm _your_ brother. I _always_ get my way."

"Not this time. I'm not going on that date, Mokuba," Kaiba adamantly replied and Mokuba sighed.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this," he said as he pulled several sheets of paper from inside his jacket.

"What is that?" Kaiba asked as he sat forward.

"This," Mokuba gestured to the paper, "is the deal you recently closed with Mr. Akiyama." With that, he raised the papers and, looking his brother directly in the eyes, proceeded to rip the documents.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Kaiba demanded as he shot out of his seat. The moment he did, Mokuba quickly moved backwards and pulled out several other documents.

"Do we have a deal?" he asked as he held the document in his hands, prepared to rip them.

* * *

"Good night," Téa smiled at the maître d', who immediately returned the smile and said, "good night, ma'am. How may I help you?"

"I'm actually looking for my date. He's supposed to be sitting at booth 6," Téa replied and the man nodded.

"Right this way," he said as he gestured for her to follow behind him. They moved away from the crowded main room and towards a smaller, more private booth.

"Booth 6, ma'am," the man smiled as he pointed at the booth. Téa gave a thankful nod and the man departed, leaving her standing there.

As she stared at the back of her date's head, Téa concluded that he was most likely young. He had a luscious head of chestnut brown hair and was dressed in an expensive, well tailored suit, making her wonder if Mr. MoneyBag truly was a money bag.

Either he was a big shot or he was trying to give off the aura that he was. Well, there was only one way to find out.

Inhaling deeply, she entered the booth and moved to introduce herself.

"Hi, I'm Té-" she began introducing herself before she stopped mid-sentence, her eyes wide as she stared at the man sitting at the table.

"Kaiba?!" she bit out at the same moment that he exclaimed, "Gardner?!"

"Well, this is just great," she mumbled to herself as she stood there staring at him, unsure if she should sit or leave.

"Just my luck," he bit out as he perused her with a disapproving look, "that you would be my date."

Immediately, her face contorted in anger and she hissed, "as if I would go on a date with _you._ "

Before he could respond, swift surprise crossed her face and she exclaimed, "I didn't know that you dated."

"I don't," he said through clenched teeth, earning a "there's a surprise" from her.

Narrowing his eyes at her, he continued, "Mokuba blackmailed me into this. Apparently, he thinks that I need to go on more dates and be more social."

"You? More social?!" Téa exclaimed as she shook her head. "No, he can't be serious!"

"Your ability to insult truly is remarkable," Kaiba ground out and she raised her eyebrow in a peeved manner.

Letting out a groan, she sat down, much to Kaiba's amazement, and said, "let's just get this over with."

"I don't recall telling you to sit, Gardner. Nor do I recall me agreeing to continue this dinner," he said and she rolled her eyes.

"Well, like it or not, _I_ need to get through this dinner," she said and he smirked at her.

"That desperate for a date that you'd resort to kidnapping me?" he asked and her face instantly took on an appalled look.

"How exactly am I kidnapping you? You came here on your own," she said before adding, "besides, we're in public."

"Yet, you're holding me against my will," he pointed out and she scoffed.

"You're free to leave," she replied casually and watched as his face faltered. Smiling, she took a sip of her water and said, "exactly. If you'd wanted to leave, Kaiba, you would have already done so."

Glaring at her, he bit out, "I'm only here because Mokuba is holding my documents hostage," which earned a laugh from her.

"Ah, the classic question of business versus pleasure," she remarked and he scowled.

"There is no such thing as pleasure. For me, there is only business," he answered and she shrugged.

"And for me, there is only food," she said as the waiter approached them to take their order.

After the waiter took their orders and left, Kaiba turned to her and said, "now, Gardner, explain to me how _you_ ended up being my blind date."

Shrugging, Téa replied, "for some strange reason, the site matched us up. Apparently, our personalities are compatible. Don't even ask me how _that_ happened. Most likely a malfunction on their part."

Smirking, he quirked an eyebrow and inquired, "so, what exactly do you do on these dates?"

"How am I supposed to know?" she scoffed and he retorted, "I would think that this is how you get your dates," earning a glare from her.

"As a matter of fact, _this_ is the first time I've been on one of these sort of dates," she informed him.

"Yet, you have a profile," he countered, to which she reminded him, "as do you."

"Mokuba made that for me without my knowledge," Kaiba said and she smirked before she replied, "and Mai made mine without my knowledge."

"Of course she did," Kaiba replied mockingly and she rolled her eyes.

"Believe it or not, she did. Apparently, I don't go on enough dates," she grumbled the last part but he heard it all.

"What's wrong? No men find you attractive enough to ask you out?" The insult came out so smoothly and automatically that Téa wondered if he simply had insults lined up in his head, just waiting for him to use them. Could one be born an asshole?

With a deceptively sweet smile, she replied, "no. I'm just not interested in dating at the moment," watching as he gave her a smile that clearly said he didn't believe her.

Upset, she bit out, "what about you? Did women finally realize what an ass you are and just stopped trying?"

Just as he opened his mouth to respond, the waiter returned with their order, effectively silencing him, something that Téa was grateful for.

"Now," she said as she looked across the table at him. "Can we eat in silence?"

"What made you think I wanted to hear you speak?" he asked and she gritted her teeth to keep from screaming at him. Wordlessly, she looked down at her food and proceeded to eat it.

Blissful silence surrounded them as they ate and Téa felt herself relax slightly. The moment she did, Kaiba set down his knife and fork and said, "well, I don't see the need for dessert. Let's just end this date right here and now."

Immediately, she shook her head and said, "I don't think so. I came this far to have a date with _you_ , so I'm getting dessert. I think I deserve it."

He opened his mouth to protest but she promptly ignored him and motioned for the waiter to approach them. After giving her dessert order, she looked over at Kaiba, who was silently glaring at her from across the table.

"Maybe you should get dessert too. It might help sweeten your mood," she said in reference to his dark mood.

"I'll pass," was his simple response and she shrugged, replying, "to each his own."

Neither said anything after that and Téa, more than aware of the painful silence, began to look around the restaurant, which was rather lovely. And high class, she realized as her eyes took in the elaborate decorations around the restaurant.

"Can you stop gaping like an idiot?" Kaiba's voice shook her from her reverie and she turned to scowl at him.

"I'm sorry. Our conversation was so much more interesting," she snarkily bit out and now it was his turn to scowl at her. At that exact moment, the waiter returned with her dessert, preventing them from arguing further.

Kaiba watched as Téa cut into her chocolate lover's cake and shook his head in disapproval.

"What?" she asked and immediately regretted doing so. It was equivalent to asking him to insult her.

Sure enough, he smirked at her and replied, "it's not wonder you've gotten fat. So disgusting and unhealthy."

The moment he said it, her eyes narrowed and she set down her fork. Leaning in, she whispered in a dangerous voice, "I could care less what you say about me. But never, and I mean never, insult chocolate. Ever. It's never done anything to you. Leave it alone."

With that, she picked up her fork and took her first bite, a look of ecstasy washing over her face as she did.

"Mmmm, so good," she groaned and his eyes instantly grew wide.

"Quiet down, Gardner," he hissed at her. "We're in public. Stop making those noises."

She looked up and, with a wicked smile, asked, "why? Is it embarrassing? Or is it making you uncomfortable?"

He didn't answer and she, smiling, took another bite, moaning, "so good. Oh my god, mmmmmm."

"You've made your point, Gardner! Now stop it before people think I'm doing something to you!" he bit out and she threw him a wicked smile.

"Then shut up for the rest of this dinner."

And just like that, he found himself being blackmailed once again.

* * *

"Well," Téa said as she looked down at the bill, "I guess we should split it."

"I don't think so," Kaiba said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out several bills and set them down on the table.

"What do you think you're doing?" Téa asked, looking down at the money.

"Paying for our meal, Gardner. That's what decent people do," he said and she instantly glared at him.

"Shut up, you ass," she hissed before continuing, "I mean, why are you paying for my meal as well? I can pay for myself."

"While I don't doubt that, Gardner, it's called being a gentleman," he said and she scoffed.

"And just what do you know about being a gentleman?" she inquired, her eyebrow raised.

"Enough," he began, "to hold back a lot tonight."

"That's what you call hold back?" she asked in reference to the comments and insults he'd made throughout the dinner.

However, before he could respond, she reached into her purse and produced several bills as well and set them down on the table.

"There. Now I don't need you to pay," she smiled at his scowl.

"Very funny, Gardner," he said as he picked up the bill and his money and gave it to the waiter. As he did, Téa watched with anger filled eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she demanded when the waiter walked away. Smiling, he casually remarked, "paying for the bill, Gardner."

"I already told you, Kaiba. I don't need you paying for my food," she spit back at him.

With that, she grabbed the money and slammed it down on the table in front of him.

"Now, I don't owe you anything!" she said before she abruptly stood and made for the exit, leaving a stunned Kaiba staring after her.

"That damn-" Kaiba growled to himself as he watched her leave. He looked down at the money and felt anger surge through him before he too stood and made for the exit.

As he did, the waiter called out, "sir, your change!"

Not bothering to look at the man, Kaiba yelled, "keep it!" before he stormed out of the restaurant in time to see Téa walking on the next block.

"Gardner!" he yelled as he began to run after her. Just who did she think she was? He'd said that he would pay and he would!

"Gardner!" he yelled again but she continued walking. Suddenly, she stopped and he watched as she got into a cab before she drove off into the night.

* * *

"So, how was it?" Mai called the moment she heard the door open. However, the moment she heard the door slam, she knew that it hadn't gone well at all.

Sure enough, an angry Téa stormed into the living room and Mai's eyes grew wide as she took in Téa. She looked positively livid.

"Was it that bad?" Mai asked. When Téa didn't answer, she continued, "was he boring? Or loud? Ugly? Stupid? Pervy? Creepy? Loser? Psycho?"

Téa, however, remained silent and moved towards Mai, murder clear in her eyes. Inching back on the couch, Mai smiled nervously at her best friend and said, "let's not get carried away here, Téa. Don't forget, I had your best interest at heart."

When Téa didn't reply, she continued, "how was I to know that it would be a disaster?"

"Because I told you it would be!" Téa finally yelled, causing Mai to startle.

"Was it really that bad?" Mai asked as she attempted to pull Téa onto the couch beside her in an attempt to placate her. Téa, however, growled down at her and Mai immediately withdrew her hand, seriously wondering if Téa would bite her.

"Yes, it _was_ really that bad," Téa bit out as she opened her coat. "Because, my dear best friend, the date was with Kaiba! Seto Kaiba!"

What?!" Mai shrieked as she shot to her feet. "Are you serious?!"

Téa shot her a glare and replied, "would I honestly joke about _that_?"

"Oh, honey," Mai said as she moved towards Téa to hug her. "This is all my fault!"

"Of course it is!" Téa hissed at the girl. "Do you know how _painful_ that dinner was?! How absolutely obnoxious he was?!"

"I'll make it up to you!" Mai vowed as she pulled Téa into a hug. "I promise."

"Unless you can give me my night back, I severely doubt that," Téa grumbled.

With a sigh, she looked at Mai and said, "I'm gonna go take a shower and try to wash the Kaiba-ness from myself."

"And," she said as she headed towards the bathroom, "this should serve as a warning. Next time, don't set me up on any dates! Just let me do my work!"

* * *

"So, how was it?" Mokuba smiled as Kaiba entered the living room. However, the moment he looked into his brother's face, Mokuba knew that the date _had not_ gone well. Not at all.

"Oh, no. What happened?" Mokuba asked as Kaiba began to move towards him, murder evident in his eyes. Quickly, Mokuba got to his feet and said, "hold on there, Seto. I'm your brother. And murder is illegal!"

He yelled the last part as he quickly jumped out of the way as Kaiba leapt for him.

"Do you know," Kaiba bit out as he started towards Mokuba once again, "who my date was?!"

"No, but I can guess!" Mokuba smiled at him before he dodged another attack.

"It was Gardner! Téa Gardner! Yugi's little cheerleader!" Kaiba spit and Mokuba froze, his eyes wide.

"Really?!" he exclaimed and Kaiba nodded. "How lucky! This worked out better than I hoped."

"What?!" Kaiba instantly bit out, astonishment on his face.

Nodding, Mokuba said, "Téa is beautiful and so sweet and you know her! Here I was thinking that it was a man!"

Kaiba could do nothing more than stare at his brother in shock as he continued his musings.

"And," Mokuba tapped his chin thoughtfully with his finger, "now that I think about it, she's perfect for you!"

"What?!" Kaiba was broken from his trance at once and turned to his brother, who was currently babbling nonsense.

Dismissing his brother's reaction, Mokuba said, "stop being so dramatic, Seto. And yes, Téa is perfect! She's beautiful, she's sweet, caring. She absolutely adores me and, if anyone can handle you, it's her! It's perfect!"

"What are you going on about, Mokuba? What's perfect?!" Kaiba demanded and Mokuba gave him a wide smile.

"Téa is going to become my sister in law," Mokuba replied and Kaiba felt his heart stop.

"What crap are you going on about, Mokuba?!" Kaiba demanded, shaking his head. "Are you on drugs?!"

Ignoring his brother's outburst, Mokuba pushed it aside and replied, "you're going to marry her, Seto. You're going to marry Téa and Téa alone!"

"Don't talk crap, Mokuba!" Kaiba yelled but his brother shook his head.

"I mean it, Seto. I'll make sure that Téa becomes my sister in law. I bet you that I can!" he said and Kaiba shook his head before saying, "you're crazy, Mokuba."

With a taunting smile, Mokuba shrugged and replied, "then why don't you put your money where your mouth is?"

Shaking his head, Kaiba said, "this is stupid, Mokuba. And childish. I refuse to get involved with you and this!"

He turned to leave when Mokuba mumbled, "chicken." Immediately, Kaiba paused and Mokuba said, "chicken," even louder.

Although he knew that he should ignore his brother, Kaiba couldn't. He hated being called that and Mokuba knew it. Throughout their childhood and teenage years, that had always been how Mokuba had gotten him to do his bidding.

No! Now, it was different! He was an adult and refused to be lured in by such pettiness.

"Not this time, Mokuba," Kaiba said as he continued towards the door.

"Then, I guess you concede defeat," Mokuba shrugged and watched as his brother froze. A smirk on his lips, Mokuba knew that Kaiba would cave soon enough.

"No, I don't. I just refuse to take advantage of you," Kaiba said as he turned to face his brother, who was smiling at him.

"And how would you be taking advantage of me?" Mokuba quirked an eyebrow.

"It's obvious, Mokuba, that I wouldn't marry Téa," he said and Mokuba chuckled.

"Then prove it. If it's so obvious, then why are you afraid to take the bet?" he asked and Mokuba knew that he'd backed his brother into a corner. It was only a matter of time before he relented.

Deciding to taunt his brother even more, Mokuba reached into his jacket and pulled out some papers, which he held up, smirking at Kaiba as he did.

"Is that," Kaiba began and Mokuba nodded, a smile on his face as he replied, "the deal you closed with Mr. Akiyama. The copy machine truly is wonderful, Seto."

"Fine! It's a bet then!" Kaiba bit out and Mokuba smiled.

"Loser has to wear a chicken suit everywhere for a month," he said and Kaiba's eyes grew wide at the outrageous request.

"What kind of a stupid term is that?" he asked but Mokuba merely shook his head and asked, "do you accept or not?"

Kaiba thought about saying no, but the look on Mokuba's face immediately prevented him from doing so. He looked so smug and sure of himself. However, there was no way that he, Seto Kaiba, was going to lose.

"Well then Mokuba, I guess you'd better start shopping for your size," he said to his younger brother before he turned and walked out of the room. As he did, Mokuba smiled to himself. That had been much faster than he'd expected.

* * *

So, please be sure to review and tell me what you think about the story so far!  
-DramaQueen95


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So, I'd like to thank my lovely readers for their reviews! I really enjoyed reading what you guys thought of the story so far. I'm very happy that you guys are enjoying the story so far. That being said, this story is going to be more manga-esque in terms of the events that occur and the progression of the story. In other words, it'll be written as more manga based than realistic. So, be prepared for randomness and sometimes insane scenarios. So, I look forward to feedback, which can be as lengthy or terse as you want it to be, simply telling me if you guys, my lovely readers, are enjoying the story so far or, if not, what you don't like about it. I just ask that you don't be rude and nasty in your review because I'm kind of sensitive. Other than that, enjoy the fanfic!

Disclaimer: Well, I clearly don't own YuGiOh because, if I did, Seto and Téa would obviously be together.

* * *

"What a truly beautiful necklace," Téa breathed as she examined the necklace. It was old and faded, and the gold was no longer as shiny as it had been thousands of years ago, but it was remarkable nonetheless.

"We found it during the excavation last week. It'll have to be cleaned and restored before we can add it to the display, but that shouldn't take too long. We found some more jewelry inside the tomb, most likely Nefertari's but we're not absolutely sure as yet," her colleague said and Téa's face immediately fell.

She had wanted to accompany them on the excavation but had been unable to because of her classes and the fact that she was in charge of the new Egyptian clothing exhibition at the museum.

However, that didn't matter to her because her department now had several new items and she was more than happy.

"I'll take this down to the lab," her colleague said and Téa nodded. As he walked away, he called over his shoulder, "by the way, Dr. Cohen is looking for you."

A few moments later, Téa entered Dr. Cohen's office. The moment she did, she saw her superior look at her and smile before he looked ahead and Téa noticed that there was another occupant in the room.

"You wanted to see me, Dr. Cohen?" she asked as she moved towards his desk.

"Ah, yes. You're just the person I wanted to see," he smiled at her as he stood and crossed towards her.

As he reached her side, she saw the person sitting in the chair rise and turn just as Dr. Cohen said, "Téa, this is Mr. Kaiba."

As Dr. Cohen said that, Téa found herself face to face with none other than Seto Kaiba.

"Mr. Kaiba, this is Téa Gardner. She is the junior curator of the ancient Egypt collection here at our museum," Dr. Cohen informed Kaiba, who simply stared at Téa, who had yet to recover from her shock. Clearly, neither one had expected to encounter the other so soon, and especially there of all places.

Finally, Téa snapped out of her shock and, with a forced smile, extended her hand, saying, "pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kaiba."

Kaiba regarded her outstretched hand for a moment before he finally shook it and gave her a slight nod.

"Now, Téa," Dr. Cohen motioned for her to sit, completely unaware of the tension between her and Kaiba, "Mr. Kaiba is going to be sponsoring an exhibition in our department. It's going to be called "Monsters in Ancient Egypt" and will focus on Duel Monsters in ancient Egypt."

Téa turned towards Kaiba at that, but he didn't move. Instead, he sat there, looking bored and emotionless as usual.

"Since you are in the running to become senior curator of the ancient Egyptian collection, I've decided to put you in charge of this project as a test to determine whether or not you have what it takes to be senior curator. While I will oversee everything and offer you any help that you require, it will all depend purely on you," Dr. Cohen informed her and she nodded. It wouldn't be that hard then. She happened to adore ancient Egypt, so she was more than certain that she wouldn't have a problem putting the exhibition together.

However, Dr. Cohen's following words caused her heart to immediately fall. "For this project, you will be working very closely with Mr. Kaiba for the next three months."

Immediately, Téa felt her face twitch but nodded and maintained her smile. Sneaking a peek at Kaiba, she saw that his face was still an emotionless mask and wondered how he managed to never show any emotions, except for his usual ones of disgust and arrogance.

"In addition to this project, you will still be responsible for your other duties. I believe we've recently acquired some new items during that excavation last week," Dr. Cohen said and she immediately nodded.

"Chris showed me the necklace and it is absolutely breathtaking. From the looks of it, it's a shebyu collar from the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom, which puts it somewhere between the 16th century BC and 13th century BC. Most likely 14th century BC during the reign of Thutmose IV since shebyu collars originated during his reign. It might have belonged to Queen Nefertari," Téa hurriedly explained, unable to keep the excitement from her voice. She saw Kaiba's eyes widen ever so slightly and immediately cleared her throat, her face turning a slight pink.

"Amazing, isn't she?" Dr. Cohen asked, looking over at Kaiba, who gave a slight nod, if it could be called that. He continued, "I've never met anyone with such a love for ancient Egyptian culture. Even though she hasn't been here that long, Téa has already established herself as an invaluable asset to our museum."

At his words of praise, Téa flushed and immediately looked down, clearly embarrassed. At that moment, they heard a beeping and Téa looked down at her pager.

"Looks like they need me in the lab," she said as she looked at the message on her pager. "Would you please excuse me, Dr. Cohen?"

"Of course, Téa. Always such a diligent worker," Dr. Cohen smiled at her. Returning the smile, Téa replied, "I try my best, sir."

"Which is precisely why I've entrusted this to you. Despite it being so large of a task, I have absolutely no doubt that you will make it perfect," he smiled at her.

"I promise you that I will make sure everything goes off without a bang," Téa smiled back at him when her beeper went off once again.

"It seems that that is my cue," she smiled at them. Turning, she said, "thank you once again for entrusting such a task to me," to which Dr. Cohen replied, "there is no other person who I feel is more capable than you."

Nodding, Téa moved towards the door before she paused and looked over at Kaiba. Forcing herself to smile, she said, "and I look forward to working with you, Mr. Kaiba."

Rather than respond, Kaiba merely gave her a slight nod while still stoically staring at her. With a parting nod to Dr. Cohen, Téa turned and practically dashed from the room, happy to escape.

"Just my luck," Téa groaned to herself as she made her way down to the lab. Of course she would have to work with Kaiba of all people.

"And my promotion depends on him. Of all the museums in the world, why did he have to walk into this one?" she groaned before she sighed and pushed the door, walking into the lab.

* * *

"Of all the museums in the world, Gardner just had to work at this one," Kaiba mumbled to himself as he made his way to the elevator 30 minutes later. What was she even doing working at a museum?

From what he'd remembered, hadn't she loved dancing?

"Just my luck," he continued mumbling to himself as he pushed the button. A few moments later, the elevator opened and he found himself staring back at none other than Téa.

A scowl immediately seized his features, which was mirrored on her face as well.

"Excuse me," she said as she moved to step out of the elevator. However, Kaiba quickly blocked her path, forcing her back into the elevator.

"I don't think so, Gardner," he scowled at her before he stepped into the elevator along with her.

"Keeping me in here against my will is illegal, Kaiba," she said as she moved to leave the elevator once again. As she did, Kaiba quickly shifted his body so that he blocked the door just as the elevator closed.

"What is wrong with you?" Téa demanded as she looked up at Kaiba, who was now glaring at her.

"What are you doing here, Gardner?" he hissed at her, completely ignoring her question.

"I happen to work here, Kaiba," she snapped back at him and he scowled at her.

"Why? Of all the museums in the world, why did you have to work at _this_ museum?" he asked and she stared at him, an incredulous look on her face.

"Did you just quote _Casablanca?_ " she asked, surprise evident on her face and in her voice.

"What?" Kaiba asked, his features overcome with confusion. "What are you talking about, Gardner? And answer my question!"

"It's a movie. Where have you been living? Under a rock? And I'm here because this museum is where I did my internship," she said the last part slowly as she made sure that she enunciated every syllable, looking at him as if he were an idiot. Clearly, he didn't appreciate her snarkiness because his eyes immediately narrowed and he glared at her.

"Don't forget, Gardner, that your promotion depends on me," he suddenly reminded her as a smile appeared on his face. At his words, Téa's face blanched and she sighed.

"Don't remind me," she mumbled and Kaiba gave her his trademark smirk, continuing, "so I think it would be in your best interest, Gardner, to keep me happy and be an obedient little curator."

At his words, Téa gave a sarcastic laugh, saying, "blackmail from Seto Kaiba. Why am I not surprised?"

At that moment, the elevator reached the ground floor and the door opened with a ding.

"By the way," he suddenly shoved something into her hand. Téa looked down and was surprised to see money in her hand. She looked up at Kaiba, who said, "I always pay for dinner, Gardner. Always."

Just as he said it, the elevator door began to close. Quickly, Kaiba stepped over, preventing the door from closing, and turned back to face her.

"And be prepared, Gardner," he smirked at her, "to work very, very hard for your promotion because, if even one thing goes wrong for this exhibition, forget about your promotion. I'll make sure that you never work at another museum ever again."

With those words, he turned and walked towards the exit, his trench coat flapping behind him.

* * *

"What?!" Mai exclaimed and Téa sighed before she nodded and moaned, "my life is over."

"Aww," Mai moved to comfort her, "it's only three months, Téa."

At Mai's words, Téa immediately looked up and glared at her.

Clearing her throat, Mai shook her head and said, "I mean, maybe it won't be that bad."

Téa's eyes narrowed even more and Mai swallowed, realizing that she'd once again said the wrong thing.

With a tiny smile, she asked, "would you like some tea, Téa?"

Téa looked at her best friend before she let out a loud groan and buried her face in her pillow.

"Why me?!" she whined into the pillow.

* * *

"Really?!" Mokuba exclaimed, his eyes wide in surprise as he stared at his brother, who was scowling.

"Why don't you scream in my other ear as well, Mokuba? That way, I'll definitely become deaf," he snapped and Mokuba rolled his eyes.

"It's perfect, Seto! You and Téa, working side by side for three months. Early morning meetings, late night rendezvous. Oh, it's a recipe for romance!" Mokuba was saying, completely oblivious to the look that his brother was giving him.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Kaiba asked, "what is wrong with you, Mokuba? Where are you getting all of these ideas from?! Are you on drugs?!"

However, his younger brother ignored him, still lost in his little fantasy world. Mokuba continued, "I'm sure that you two will fall in love in no time. Maybe by winter, so you guys can have a fall or winter wedding next year! Maybe a fall wedding so I can wear a nice gray or brown suit. Then again, a black tuxedo against white snow would provide amazing contrast. Who cares? I'd look great either way."

"Mokuba!" Kaiba yelled and saw his brother immediately turn to face him.

"What's the matter, Seto? Why are you yelling?" Mokuba asked, shaking his head. Sometimes, he just didn't understand his older brother.

Kaiba took a deep, calming breath before he said, "will you please calm down?" which earned him a confused look from Mokuba, who quickly replied, "I _am_ calm, Seto. _You're_ the one who's yelling. I'm simply saying that I want to wear a tuxedo at your wedding. Or maybe a nice gray or brown suit for the fall."

Kaiba stared at his brother for a few seconds before he sighed and, shaking his head, pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Unbelievable," he mumbled, causing Mokuba to give him a mischievous smile.

"Aww, what's the matter, Seto? Is a certain someone worried about having to wear a chicken suit sooner than he thought?"

At his brother's gibe, Kaiba looked up and narrowed his eyes. "Don't be so cocky, Mokuba. Nothing had happened between me and Gardner."

Smiling wickedly, Mokuba said, " _yet,_ " earning a scoff from his brother, who added, "and _nothing_ is going to happen! Ever!"

Shrugging, Mokuba immediately gave him a cool look and nonchalantly replied, "we'll just see about that. Start shopping, _toriniku,_ " before he turned and left a surprised Kaiba staring after him as he left the room.

* * *

"Ah, there you are," Dr. Cohen smiled as he entered the display on clothing in ancient Egypt. Téa looked up from fixing a headdress on a female model and smiled at Dr. Cohen.

"Hello, Dr. Cohen," she smiled at her superior when another figure appeared. Téa looked at Kaiba and gave him a slight nod of acknowledgement, which he ignored.

Trying not to roll her eyes, Téa turned back to Dr. Cohen and asked, "is there something that you need, Dr. Cohen?"

"Well, Mr. Kaiba is here and was wondering if you two can begin working on the exhibition to sort out the starting details and draw up a rough proposal. Apparently, he won't be available next week due to business," he explained to her and she quickly nodded.

"Of course, Dr. Cohen," she smiled and quickly straightened the headdress. "I can start right after I finish straightening up in here."

"Thank you," Dr. Cohen said, offering her a smile before he turned and left her and Kaiba alone.

"So, this is what you do," Kaiba finally said, walking around the interior and looking at the models inside. He touched a linen dress on one of the models and Téa quickly turned around, hissing, "don't touch anything!"

Immediately, Kaiba pulled back his hand before he caught himself and scoffed, mumbling, "calm down, why don't you?"

Téa scowled to herself and quickly finished fixing the last model before she turned towards Kaiba and asked with a stiff smile, "are you ready to start?"

Before Kaiba could answer, Téa was already walking out of the display and heading towards her office.

"Now," she said as they entered her office, "are you re-"

"Is _this_ your office?" Kaiba smirked as he looked around the office, which was relatively small. Téa narrowed her eyes at him and nodded.

"Yes, Kaiba. Is there a problem?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I thought it was a display too," he mumbled and Téa had to inhale deeply to remain calm.

Turning to him, she said, "if you've finished insulting me, Kaiba, would you like to begin to lay the foundation for the exhibition?"

He scoffed and she grabbed paper, saying, "we need to come up with a theme."

"We already have one, Gardner. It's called 'Monsters in Ancient Egypt'. How are you going to put this exhibition together when you can't even remember a small detail like that?" he asked and Téa let out a frustrated sigh.

"I remembered that, Kaiba," she said through clenched teeth, "but there has to be order. I can't just throw a bunch of duel monster tablets together and call it a day. We have to find some way to organize it so that it is aesthetically pleasing."

"And just what do _you_ know about aesthetically pleasing, Gardner?" he smirked and Téa clenched her fists. Was this what she was going to have to put up with for the next three months?

"Enough to know that you aren't," she bit back and earned a wide eyed look from Kaiba, who was surprised at her response.

"As I was saying, Kaiba," she continued before he could interrupt, "what pieces have you obtained? Is there something that connects them all apart from the fact that they're all monsters of ancient Egypt?"

He shrugged and said, "I believe figuring that out is _your_ job, Gardner, not mine."

She glared at him and Kaiba, giving her his trademark smirk, pulled out a list and handed it to her. "All of the items are listed here."

As she took the list, Téa asked, "how did you even get involved in this? From what I remember, you didn't really like ancient Egypt. And I didn't know that you even cared about history."

Kaiba scoffed at her remark, saying, "of course you would think it's about history."

At her confused look, he continued, "my company is heavily involved in the dueling world. If KaibaCorp was to sponsor an exhibition that shows that duel monsters were real, do you have any idea how much publicity my company would receive? How much sales would go up?"

"Of course," Téa shook her head in disbelief, "business. Why am I not surprised? Only you would exploit history for gains."

"From what I understand, Gardner," Kaiba began, "aren't you currently making a career out of history?"

"That's not true!" Téa quickly replied. "I happen to love history."

"And I happen to love when my company sales go up," Kaiba smirked at her.

"Unbelievable," Téa said to him before she turned her attention to the list in her hand and quickly scanned through the items, which were more than she'd expected.

"Hmm, we could do a theme of elements," she mumbled to herself as she doodled something on the paper with her pencil.

"How typical," Kaiba mumbled and Téa immediately grew rigid.

"What?" she asked, turning to face Kaiba, who had a blasé look on his face. "What exactly is wrong with that theme?"

Kaiba shrugged and replied, "I'm sure that it is genius to you, Gardner, but it is a rather overused theme, don't you think?"

As he looked at her, Kaiba saw Téa's right eye twitch and inwardly smirked. He didn't know why but he rather enjoyed pushing her buttons.

Inhaling deeply, Téa closed her eyes before she exhaled. Opening her eyes, she merely stared at him, her face cool and composed.

"Right," she said, her voice full of resignation before she turned away and continued looking at the list.

"As I was saying, we'll do a theme of elements. And, to make it even more attractive, we can build models based off of the tablets so that there are 3D representations of the monsters," she continued, excitement tinging her voice. As he watched her work, Kaiba was genuinely surprised that she was so excited over stone tablets. She was actually glowing with happiness as she scribbled down her ideas about how to organize the tablets.

Although he would rather die than admit it, Kaiba was positive that Dr. Cohen had indeed made the right choice when he'd assigned Gardner to put together the exhibition.

As much as he knew that, however, Kaiba would never say that to her nor was he planning on it being a smooth three months. No, this exhibition would also draw publicity to his company and he couldn't afford anything but perfection.

That in mind, he turned back towards Téa and said, "by _we,_ I suppose that you mean KaibaCorp because I'm absolutely not going to sit back and allow _you_ to build models of the monsters."

Téa shot him a nasty look and quickly replied, "of course it'll be KaibaCorp," before she turned away, mumbling to herself, "as if I have the time and materials to build models of ancient monsters. Especially for you of all people."

* * *

"I can't deal with him anymore!" Téa exclaimed as she stormed into her apartment, slamming the door behind her. Mai, who had been reading a book, let out a yelp of surprise and accidentally threw the book.

"What happened?" she asked as she stood and looked around for the book, which had landed in the fireplace.

"Seto Kaiba is what happened!" Téa growled as she moved to sit on the couch. She plopped herself down just as Mai retrieved the book and moved to sit beside her.

"What exactly happened?" Mai asked and Téa let out an annoyed sigh. Massaging her temple, she said, "nothing specific. Seto Kaiba was just being his usual obnoxious self and I cannot work with someone like that. We've only been working together for a few hours now and I already want to wrap him up and put him on display. Maybe as a posh Neanderthal.l"

"That bad, huh?" Mai asked and Téa nodded.

"You have no idea. I don't know how I'm going to survive three months of this, Mai. I might as well kiss my promotion goodbye."

Immediately, Mai shook her head and said, "don't say that! You've worked so hard for so long to get where you are now. Are you going to let _Seto Kaiba_ ruin your hard work?"

Téa looked over at Mai before she shook her head, a determined glint in her eyes. "Of course not! I'd rather eat my shoe than let Kaiba ruin my life!"

"That's the spirit!" Mai cheered her on and Téa nodded.

"So, who's going to go back to work and show Kaiba who's the boss?" Mai asked.

"I am!" Téa replied and Mai nodded.

"Who's going to put together the greatest exhibition ever?!" Mai asked and Téa replied, "I am!"

"That's the spirit! Who's going to become senior curator?!" Mai asked and Téa exclaimed, "I am!"

"Yes! And who's going to go with me to Vegas next week?" Mai asked.

"I am!" Téa yelled before her eyes grew wide and she turned to look at Mai, who gave her a small smile.

"What?" Téa asked, as she processed what Mai had just said. Mai looked at her and continued to smile before she stopped and sighed when Téa glared at her.

"What is this about Vegas?" Téa asked and Mai gave her another sigh before she replied, "I won two tickets for a week in Vegas," causing Téa's eyes to grow wide.

"What? How?!" Téa asked and Mai smiled before she replied, "I entered a contest a few weeks back while I was dating that radio personality."

"Didn't you break up with him after two weeks?" Téa asked and Mai nodded.

"He was too obsessed with the radio. All he ever did was talk about his job," Mai sighed and Téa shook her head.

"Anyway, I entered a contest that their station was having and I won the contest!" Mai exclaimed in excitement.

"I got the tickets this morning and I need a buddy to go with me and I thought who better than my best friend?" she asked and Téa sighed, shaking her head.

Just as Téa opened her mouth, Mai said, "before you even say anything Téa, just answer me this. When was the last time that you went on vacation?"

When Téa closed her mouth and look down, Mai nodded and said, "exactly. You never do anything fun anymore. Now, it's just work, work, work. Have some fun, Téa, or you'll wake up one morning and wonder where your life went."

Téa looked at Mai and was about to object when she sighed. Mai was right. All she ever did now was work. It had been years since she'd taken an official vacation.

"So, are you in?" Mai asked, holding out the ticket. Téa looked at it and thought about her work. Immediately, her mind flashed to Kaiba and she scowled.

Maybe a week in Vegas was just what she needed before she jumped into a three month long project with Seto Kaiba.

"Fine," she said and Mai let out a squeal of excitement.

"This is going to be so much fun! I promise you won't regret it, Téa!" Mai yelled as she hugged her best friend.

* * *

So, please be sure to review and tell me what you think about the story so far!  
-DramaQueen95


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So, I'd like to thank my lovely readers for their reviews! I really enjoyed reading what you guys thought of the story so far. I'm very happy that you guys are enjoying the story so far. That being said, this story is going to be more manga-esque in terms of the events that occur and the progression of the story. In other words, it'll be written as more manga based than realistic. So, be prepared for randomness and sometimes insane scenarios. So, I look forward to feedback, which can be as lengthy or terse as you want it to be, simply telling me if you guys, my lovely readers, are enjoying the story so far or, if not, what you don't like about it. I just ask that you don't be rude and nasty in your review because that's not nice.

Flames will be ignored so ask yourself if it's really worth the time and effort to write a flame that you know I won't read or respond to. If your answer is yes...I honestly don't know what to say except good luck to you.

Other than that, enjoy the fanfic!

Disclaimer: 3 chapters have already passed and I still don't own YuGiOh.

* * *

"Of course you can have the week off!" Dr. Cohen exclaimed as he looked at Téa, who shot him an uncertain look.

"Are you sure, Dr. Cohen? Because, I feel really bad about leaving, especially so abruptly. It's highly unprofessional. If you want, I can always canc-" Téa began saying but her superior immediately shook his head, quickly cutting her off.

"Téa, you have never taken a vacation since you started working here. In fact, I think the only day that you took off was several months ago when you were sick. And, if I recall correctly, the only reason you did was because I forced you to," Dr. Cohen said, shaking his head slightly.

He continued, "I think that you should take a week off. Go and have some fun before you dive headfirst into this project because this is a major project. I don't want you to be stressed out and, as a result, burn out halfway through it."

Sighing, Téa nodded, knowing that she'd been beaten. Then again, she wasn't so sure if delaying a three month project with Seto Kaiba was necessarily a bad thing.

"Very well, Dr. Cohen," she smiled at her boss as she stood. "I'll go. I'm sure a week away will give me fresh new ideas that I can use in the proj-"

"Oh no! Absolutely no work during your vacation, Téa! I want you to relax. Do you understand me?" Dr. Cohen asked and Téa immediately frowned at his words.

A week without work? Just what was she supposed to do?

Sighing in resignation, she gave him a small nod and replied, "fine. I won't do any work," which earned a smile from the man.

"Good. Now, I want you to take the rest of the day off to get yourself all packed and ready to go," he said, his tone making it obvious that he didn't want any arguments about it.

Sighing, Téa gave him a nod before she said goodbye and left his office.

"What am I supposed to do in Vegas? I don't gamble and I haven't really partied since college," she mumbled to herself as she waited for the elevator.

Just as the elevator door opened and she stepped in, she felt herself collide with someone just as the person stepped out.

"I'm so sor-" she began apologizing when the person cut her off, snapping, "watch where you're going."

Recognizing the voice, Téa looked up and found herself staring at none other than Seto Kaiba.

"Of course it would be you," Kaiba scowled as he looked down and saw her. Straightening, he continued, "don't you know that you're supposed to wait until the people inside leave before you enter the elevator, Gardner? It's common sense."

Narrowing her eyes, Téa bit back, "I didn't know that you considered yourself to be a person."

At her words, he gave her a sarcastic little laugh, which she promptly ignored as she got into the lift.

"Have your fun now, Gardner, because I'm going to be sure to make your life hell during this project," he promised her as his expression returned to the usual cold one he enjoyed wearing.

"Too bad you'll have to wait until next week," was all she said to him before the door closed, leaving a surprised Kaiba staring at the elevator door.

"What the hell does she mean?" he mumbled to himself as he headed towards Dr. Cohen's office.

"Ah, Mr. Kaiba. Just the person I wanted to see," Dr. Cohen said to him as he entered the room.

"Is there a problem?" Kaiba asked and the man quickly shook his head, saying, "no. Of course not!" before gesturing for Kaiba to take a seat.

"It seems," Dr. Cohen continued, giving him a slight smile, "that the starting of the project will be delayed by a week."

At the surprised look on Kaiba's face, the man quickly shook his head and added, "but don't worry. I assure you that it will be completed as scheduled."

His face a composed mask, Kaiba coldly asked, "why exactly has it been delayed?"

"Because Miss Gardner has taken a leave of absence for a week," Dr. Cohen replied before quickly adding, "she and I both felt it best for her to do so in order to return with a fresh perspective in regards to the project."

"I assure you though," he continued upon seeing an angry look forming on Kaiba's face, "that Miss Gardner and I will both strive to ensure that this project is more successful that you ever expected. I promise you, Mr. Kaiba, that you will be very surprised at the end of the three months."

* * *

"Finally!" Mai exclaimed as she dropped her bags. "We're here!"

She opened the curtains before turning towards Téa with a smile on her face.

"Isn't the Strip beautiful?" she asked, turning her attention back to the window as bright lights flashed, illuminating the suite even more.

Scowling slight, Téa lugged her suitcase into the room, not answering Mai, who proceeded to follow the brunette into the room.

"Are you going to be upset for the entire trip?" Mai asked, earning a glare from Téa, who still didn't answer.

Letting out an exasperated groan, Mai folded her arms and asked, "how was I supposed to know that your favorite archeologist would hold a seminar this Thursday?"

Scowling even wider, Téa bit out, "stop reminding me, Mai."

"Then stop scowling and bringing down the mood of the entire trip!" Mai hissed at her. "Besides, the purpose of this trip was to distract you from work. So stop thinking about work and quit being upset! I'm sure he'll give at least one more seminar at the college before he dies."

Narrowing her eyes at the blonde, Téa mumbled, "it's not just the seminar. Don't forget about that jackass on the plane."

"Okay, maybe that was my fault. But I had your best interest at heart, I promise," Mai frowned. "But how was I supposed to know that he would turn out to be a complete asshole?"

"Because he looked like one, Mai! I'm pretty sure that he was in his late 20s but he was dressed like a frat boy on his way to the gym. For god's sake, he had on a wrist sweatband and a backwards cap," Téa yelled, earning a scoff from Mai, who replied, "excuse me, Téa, but I don't judge people based on how they look." (Note: I'm definitely not trying to stereotype all guys who dress like this as assholes, but the ones I've met have ALL been assholes/fuccboi).

"Are you kidding me?" Téa asked in an incredulous tone, her eyes wide. "Mai, that's _all_ you do! In fact, you're probably one of the most superficial people I know! Lord knows you've rejected and dumped some really nice guys simply because you didn't like their haircut or cheeks or arm hair or name or, my personal favorite, 'how he walks.'"

Scoffing, Mai quickly said, "I resent that and, to be fair, Kenji _did_ have a stupid haircut. It made his head look like a cone! And Fernando did have chubby cheeks! He looked like a goddamn chipmunk every time he smiled. As for Marc, his arm hair was something else. I honestly felt like I was dating Bigfoot. Phlynn's name was just stupid. There's no other word for it. No one, and I mean no one, spells Flynn that way. His name honestly reminded me of phlegm, which is just gross. And Ian just walked like an idiot. Half the time I didn't want to leave the house just so that I didn't have to go out in public with him."

"And _I'm_ superficial," Téa scoffed at Mai, who shot her a dirty look and said, "at least I tried to set you up with the hot guy on the plane."

"Because the last time you set me up, it worked out so well," Téa shot back, earning a glare from Mai, who replied, "that was not my fault at all! Besides, I'm sure this guy was 100% better than Seto Kaiba."

"I don't know," Téa mumbled, earning a wide eyed look from Mai, who asked, "was he really _that_ bad?"

Nodding, Téa said, "Mai, he wouldn't shut up about working out. I'm all for being healthy but literally every single word that left his mouth was about taking care of your body and about different exercises for toning different parts of your body. I learned how to tone my ass, my arms, my legs. Mai, I even learned how to tone my knees."

"I didn't know that was a thing," Mai said with wide eyes, earning a sigh from Téa, who replied, "neither did I. Then, he started going on about what I should eat to the point where he told me exactly how many times I should chew my food in order to maximize digestion. How many times to chew my food, Mai. _Chew my food._ And if that wasn't bad enough, he started off when I took out my chocolate and started eating it. He literally ranted for about 10 minutes about how bad chocolate is and how he gave up all carbs to get the body and the abs that he had."

"Wow," Mai exclaimed, "I had no idea it was that horrible."

"That's not even the worst part. No, the worst part was when he told me to feel how hard his abs were and, after I continuously told him that it was fine, pressed my hand against his abs and, looking at me, asked 'doesn't it feel hard?'"

"Oh my," Mai exclaimed and Téa nodded, saying, "I know. Ridiculous. I mean, who the hell does that? I honestly wanted to punch him in the face but we would have been thrown off the flight."

Shaking her head, Mai quickly said, "no, no. That's not what I meant. I meant did they feel good? Were they hard?"

Giving Mai an incredulous look, Téa quickly shook her head and scoffed, "do you know that you are absolutely insane? Honestly Mai! I didn't give a damn how they felt! The point was that I didn't want to touch them in the first place!"

Glowering, Mai remarked, "oh shut up. At least your flight was with a sexy personal trainer or whatever the hell he was. Who gives a damn how annoying he was? I, on the other hand, had to sit next to this woman who kept breathing as if she'd just finished running a goddamn marathon. Then, she started reading and it turned out that she was one of those people who mumbles the words under their breath as they read. And on top of that, she kept licking her finger to turn the pages. Honestly, she might as well have just spit all over the pages of the book. It was so nasty."

Giving Mai a slight grin, Téa said, "maybe we should have set those two up with each other," earning a laugh from Mai, who replied, "I wonder who'd annoy the hell out of who first."

Shrugging, Téa unzipped her suitcase while saying, "who knows? Maybe they'll turn out to be soulmates."

"If either one of them turned out to be my soulmate, I think that I might just shoot myself," Mai shook her head.

"Too bad you already met your soulmate," Téa said, watching as a confused look seized Mai's face.

"Who?" the blonde asked, to which Téa smiled again and replied, "Joey, duh."

The moment she said the name, she watched as a blush spread across Mai's face before the blonde quickly turned away, pretending to cough as she tried to compose herself.

"Oh, stop your pretending. You know that you and Joey were made for each other," Téa said and watched as Mai quickly shook her head, mumbling, "we're just friends," as she unzipped her suitcase and riffled through it.

"Stop lying to yourself, Mai. The relationship that you two have with each other is more than 'just friends.' I've known Joey for years and I can honestly say that he's head over heels in love with you but he's just too clueless to realize it," Téa said.

"Is that why he dates all of those stupid girls?" Mai grumbled, earning a chuckle from Téa who replied, "maybe. Is that why you date all of those stupid boys?"

"Shut up," Mai hissed as she spun around to face her best friend, a smile on her face. "And it's not really dating. It's more me just passing the time."

"Well, I guess Joey is doing the same thing too," Téa smirked at the blonde, who scowled before asking, "well what am I supposed to do? Just sit around and wait for him to realize he likes me?"

"More like loves," Téa chuckled, causing Mai to turn pink once again.

"Stop it," she scolded Téa as she threw a shirt at her. Grabbing her bathrobe, Mai quickly mumbled, "I'm going to take a shower," before she retreated into the bathroom, causing Téa to chuckle.

* * *

"I'll be right back!" Mokuba called over his shoulder as he exited the suite and made his way towards the ice machine.

Humming to himself, he began to refill the ice bucket when he heard a voice ask, "Mokuba?"

Stiffening, he turned, dread filling him, and found himself face to face with none other than his brother.

"Uh, hi, Seto," he smiled nervously as he raised his hand in greeting, watching as his brother's eyes widened as he took in his bathrobe and mussed hair before they narrowed as Kaiba clenched his jaw.

"What are you doing here, Mokuba?" Kaiba asked, raising a questioning eyebrow as he folded his arms, waiting for an answer.

"Umm," Mokuba mumbled, rubbing his head like he always did whenever he was nervous, "studying."

As he said it, the door to his room opened and a female voice called, "Mokuba," causing Kaiba to immediately turn towards the voice, his eyes wide as he took in the brunette calling his brother.

"Hurry up," the woman smiled before she turned and retreated back into the room.

"Who is she, Mokuba?" Kaiba asked, looking over at Mokuba, who gave him a sheepish smile.

"Study buddy?" he shrugged, earning a glare from his brother, who asked, "is that what you do instead of going to college? Mokuba, is this what I'm paying for?!"

Rolling his eyes, Mokuba scoffed, "don't get your panties in a knot, Seto," earning a shocked look from his brother, who calmly replied, "I'm not wearing panties, Mokuba. And, even if I was, I doubt they'd be in a knot."

"Jeez, it's an expression, Seto," Mokuba shook his head, mumbling, "everything always has to be so literal with you."

Kaiba, however, heard and immediately scowled before saying, "I'm still waiting for an explanation, Mokuba."

"Fine. I technically am here for college related business," Mokuba replied. "I was here for the hackathon over the weekend."

"But, I decided to just spend the week," he shrugged, adding, "you can't come to Vegas and not explore the nightlife or gamble."

At the look on his brother's face, Mokuba's eyes grew wide and he gasped, "don't tell me that you didn't do any of that." When Kaiba didn't respond, Mokuba let out a groan and shook his head, mumbling, "what is wrong with you? Do you not believe in having _any_ fun?"

"I'm here on business, Mokuba, not to have fun," was his brother's response as he shot him a nasty look.

"Well, that's too bad because I'm going to make sure that you have some fun!" Mokuba promised. "When do you leave?"

"On Sunday and no, Mokuba. I'd rather just finish my business and spend the remainder of my time working on future projects."

"The hell you will," Mokuba scoffed. "I'm getting you first thing in the morning, Seto."

With that, he turned and made his way back to the room, ice forgotten. Turning back to face his brother, he added, "and there's nothing that you can do about it. Now have a good night. I know I will."

With a quick wink, Mokuba disappeared into the room, leaving a shocked Kaiba standing in the hallway.

* * *

"So, I'm thinking that we can probably do dinner and a show and follow up with some gambling afterwards. What do you think?" Mai asked, looking over at Téa, who was busy on her laptop.

"What theme can I use?" Téa was mumbling to herself as Mai approached her, causing the blonde to let out an exasperated groan before she grabbed the laptop.

"What are you doing? Mai, give it back!" Téa yelled as she made an attempt to grab the laptop. Mai, however, quickly evaded her and shook her head, replying, "we're supposed to be here on vacation. That means no working!"

"I wasn't working," Téa protested but Mai quickly shook her head, replying, "you weren't looking for any activities to do while we're here so yes, you technically are working," which caused Téa to roll her eyes.

"Now," Mai said as she set the laptop down, "get dressed. We're going to a show at the _Mirage_."

With that, Mai turned and headed towards the bathroom. A few moments later, the door opened and she poked her head out and said, "and if I see you touching that laptop for any kind of work," before shooting Téa a look as she chose not to finish the threat.

"Fine," Téa grumbled at her best friend, who shot her a smile before she retreated into the bathroom.

Alone for a few moments, Téa made her way to the window and sighed as she looked out at the Strip.

The week was almost over and, though it was beautiful, Téa found that she hadn't been able to keep her mind off of her work no matter how hard she tried. What especially worried her was the fact that she hadn't come up with an amazing theme for the exhibition as yet.

"Ugh! And we start working on it next week," she groaned to herself as she rested her head against the window. "What am I going to do?"

"Not stress about it until next week, that's what!" Mai's voice suddenly answered from behind her. Letting out a groan, she turned to see Mai, dressed in a midnight blue short cocktail dress, smiling at her and holding up a black dress.

"Wear this!" Mai squealed as she shoved the dress at Téa, who immediately recognized it as the dress they had bought the day before.

* * *

"Well, that was fun, wasn't it?" Mai asked, looking over at Téa, who shrugged a bit, eliciting a scowl from the blonde, who asked, "what was wrong with it?"

"Nothing. It's just that I keep thinking about the exhi-" Téa began to say when Mai shook her head and placed her hand over her mouth, preventing her from speaking.

"I told you not to think about work! Just relax and enjoy our last night in Vegas!" Mai yelled at her as she pulled her towards the club entrance.

As Mai spoke to bouncer, Téa looked over at the people waiting on line to get in. From what Mai had told her, it was one of the hottest clubs at the moment and everyone wanted to join the party.

A few seconds later, Mai returned and, with a smile on her face, grabbed Téa, pulling her along as they headed into the club. As they entered, Mai shot the bouncer a quick smile.

The moment they entered, loud music and flashing lights engulfed them.

"Isn't it amazing?!" Mai yelled over the music as she turned towards Téa, who was looking around and trying to push her discomfort away. She hadn't been in a club in so long that everything seemed so foreign to her.

"Let's go to the bar!" Mai yelled as she pulled them towards the bar. As she did, Téa saw several guys turn to look at them, smiles on their faces as they took her and Mai in.

Two actually moved away and followed behind them, no doubt to offer to buy them a drink.

"Mai," Téa paused and looked around before yelling, "I'm not sure this is my scene!"

"Oh my God! Will you just relax and have fun?!" Mai yelled over the music as she grabbed their shots and handed her own to her.

"To a fun night!" Mai yelled as she downed the shot. Sighing slightly, Téa raised her own shot glass and swallowed.

"Now, let's dance!" Mai grabbed Téa and pulled her behind her as they headed to the dance floor.

"I don't want to hear any complaining! Just have fun!" Mai yelled as she began to dance to the music. Sighing, Téa nodded and, throwing caution to the wind, began to dance.

* * *

"Come on, Seto!" Mokuba yelled at his brother, who simply shook his head and replied, "no."

"But why?" Mokuba asked, shaking his head as he said, "you're the only person who wouldn't want to go partying in Vegas."

"Why would I want to go to a club with a bunch of drunk people behaving like idiots? Not to mention how cramped and disgusting it is to have people dancing on top of me," he said, disgust evident on his face.

"You're so boring," Mokuba shook his head, watching as a brief look of surprise shot across his brother's face.

"I am not," Kaiba quickly replied before adding, "I just choose not to indulge in stupid activities, which clubbing certainly is."

"Whatever, Mr. Boring," Mokuba shrugged nonchalantly. "I, on the other hand, will be sure to go out and have fun tonight. You can stay here like a grandpa."

"I am not a grandpa, Mokuba," Kaiba replied in an offhanded manner.

With a smirk, Mokuba turned towards his brother and, raising an eyebrow, said, "prove it."

Immediately, he knew that he had backed his brother into a corner as he watched Kaiba struggling not to give into the dare.

"That's what I thought," Mokuba smirked after Kaiba didn't respond.

Turning, he headed to the door before he paused and turned towards his brother, giving him a taunting smile as he said, "chicken."

* * *

"Another round!" Téa yelled as she raised her shot glass. Mai let out a yell and downed her shot before turning towards Téa, who was now smiling like an idiot. They had not too long ago left club number 2 for the night, only to make their way to a third club.

"Aren't you having fun?" Mai asked, slurring her words slightly. Nodding, Téa shot her a quick smile before she grabbed her hand and began to pull her to the dance floor.

As she did, she felt herself collide with someone.

"Watch wher-" she began before a surprised voice asked, "Téa?"

Looking up, her eyes grew wide as she found herself face to face with Mokuba.

"Mo-Mokuba?" Téa mumbled, shock clear on her face before a huge smile broke out. "What are you doing here?!"

"I'm out with Seto," the younger Kaiba replied. Téa looked up and noticed Kaiba standing there for the first time. Immediately, her eyes grew wide as she took him in. He was dressed in a white button down shirt, a black blazer, and dark jeans.

"What are you doing here?" Mokuba asked, causing Téa to laugh a bit.

"Having fun!" she yelled before she hiccuped and shot him another smile. Turning towards Kaiba, she yelled, "I didn't know you go clubbing."

With his usual emotionless expression, Kaiba replied, "I don't. Mokuba forced me," earning a scowl from his brother.

However, Téa had already turned away, yelling for Mai, who quickly joined them.

"Mai, look who's here! Old what's-his-face," Téa said, gesturing towards Kaiba. Mai's eyes grew wide as she took him in.

"I didn't know you partied," she yelled at him before shooting Mokuba a smile, which he returned. Suddenly, her eyes grew wide as she saw something interesting on the dance floor and, without a word, she quickly made her way towards the dance floor.

"Well, it was nice seeing you, kiddo," Téa shot him a smile and tried to make her way towards the dance floor. However, as she did, she stumbled and would have fallen to the ground had Kaiba not grabbed her at that exact moment.

"How much did you drink, Gardner?" he asked as he helped her straighten. She gave him a slight shrug, replying, "lost count after shot 8," before dissolving into laughter.

"Now, I'm gonna go dance," she said as she attempted to pull herself away. Hiccuping, she straightened and tried to walk away but stumbled once again. Grabbing onto Kaiba's shirt, she attempted to steady herself and ended up throwing herself over his arm, hiccuping even more.

"Téa, are you okay?" Mokuba asked, concern on his face as she straightened herself. Looking at Kaiba with a blank look, she mumbled, "take me home," before she dissolved into laughter, going limp in his arms.

"Goddamn it," Kaiba mumbled as he looked down at the very drunk girl in his arms. Mokuba shot him a smirk before turning to see Mai heading towards them.

"Téa," Mai shook the brunette, who immediately straightened up, yelling, "another shot!"

"Let's go then," Mai said as she linked her arm with Téa, who pushed herself away from Kaiba. The two began to make their way towards the bar before they paused and turned towards the two Kaiba brothers.

A smile on her face, Téa looked over at Mokuba and yelled, "are you coming too?!"

Mokuba nodded before he turned towards Kaiba and, with a wicked smile on his face, said, "I bet I could out drink you," earning a wide eyed look from his brother.

Recovering from his initial surprise, Kaiba quickly narrowed his eyes at his brother as he replied, "don't challenge me, Mokuba, or you will regret it."

"Then, why don't you put your alcohol where your mouth is?" Mokuba asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't be silly, Mokuba. Why would I drink with them?" Kaiba asked, gesturing towards Mai and Téa, both of whom were almost at the bar.

"What's the matter? Chicken?" Mokuba smirked, knowing fully well that it would irritate his brother.

At his brother's gibe, Kaiba let out a scoff before he replied, "fine, but you asked for it."

With those words, he turned and followed his brother towards the bar.

* * *

And that ends this chapter! I know, I know. Seto Kaiba in a bar. It's crazy. But, the fun now begins. As usual, reviews are welcome and appreciated. So be sure to leave a review, as short or as long as you want! Until next time!

-DramaQueen95


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